Tie rack



May 23, 1961 l. ABEL TIE RACK Filed Oct. 29. 1959 TIE RACK Irving Abel,27041 Freeport Road, Rolling Hills, Calif. Filed Oct. 29, 1959, Ser. No.849,653

'3 Claims. (Cl. '21186) This invention relates to a rack for ties andbelts and, more particularly, relates to such a rack for attachment tothe horizontal garment-supporting rod commonly used in a clothes closet.

Tie racks are commonly adapted for mounting on wall surfaces, and sincewall surfaces of clothes closets are seldom suitably accessible for tieracks, tie racks are commonly mounted on outer wall locations that arecontinuously exposed to view and are also continuously exposed to dust.The present invention meets this situation by a tie rack adapted to bemounted on a garment-supporting rod in a clothes closet with the tierack in a horizontal position perpendicular to the rod.

One problem in carrying out this concept is to mount the tie rack on therod in a manner for rigid support of the tie rack in the desiredhorizontal position. This problem is complicated by the fact that inmany instances the garment-supporting rod is not itself anchored againstrotation.

The invention solves this problem by employing hanger means for mountingthe tie rack on the garment-supporting rod and by making the hangermeans adjustable relative to the rod so that the tie rack may beextended into stabilizing contact with the rear wall of the closet. Forthis purpose, the rear end of the tie rack may be enlarged to abut thevertical wall surface at vertically spaced points and at horizontallyspaced points as well.

By virtue of this arrangement, the hanger engages the garment-supportingrod in a manner to prevent the rack from shifting axially of the rod andin a manner to keep the rack from rotating laterally about its ownlongitudinal axis. At the same time, the rear end of the tie rack makescontact with the surface of the closet'wall at points suflicientlyspaced apart vertically to keep the tie rack from rotating in a verticalplane about the axis of the rod. As a result, the tie rack isimmobilized at the desired horizontal position.

A feature of the invention is the concept of mounting the hanger meanson the tie rack in a sliding manner for adjustment of thetie racktowards the back wall of the closet and the further concept 'of using asingle screw for the mounting procedure. A single screw both clamps thetie rack to the garment-support rod and immobilizes the hanger means atits adjustment longitudinally of the tie rack.

In the selected embodiment of the invention, the hanger means slidinglystraddles the garment-supportingrod and also straddles the tie rack insliding engagement with two downwardly facing longitudinal shoulders onthe two longitudinal sides of the tie rack. The single screw is mountedin the hanger means to advance downward against the upper side of thegarment-supporting rod. When this screw is tightened against thegarment-supporting rod, it lifts the tie rack against the under side ofthe rod and thus both clamps the tie rack to the rod and I immobilizesthe tie rack relative to the hanger means.

A further feature of the selected embodiment of the invention is thatthe tie rack is longitudinall; extensible nited States Patent O A2,985,311 Patented May 23, 1961 forward to display the ties hung thereonand to make the rack more accessible for selecting ties therefrom andfor returning ties to the rack. For this purpose, the tie rack comprisesan elongated support member that is clamped to thegarment-supporting rodand further comprises an auxiliary slide member that carries the ties.Normally the slide member is in its rearwardly retracted position out ofthe Way to permit the closet door to be closed.

The features and advantages of the invention may be understood from thefollowing detailed description together with the accompanying drawing.

In the drawing, this is to be regarded as merely illustrative:

Fig. l is a side elevational view of the selected embodiment of the tierack with the tie rack in its rearwardly retracted state;

Fig. 2 is an end elevation of the tie rack as seen along the line 22 ofFig. 1;

Fig. 3 is an enlarged perspective view of the installed tie rack;

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of a second embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary side elevation of the second embodiment of theinvention;

Fig. 6 is a transverse cross section taken as indicated by the line 66of Fig. 4;

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary elevational view of the hanger means of thesecond embodiment of the invention; and

Fig. 8 is a side elevational view of a hanger pin employed in the secondembodiment of the invention.

In the first embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1, 2 and 3, thetie rack comprises a support member, generally designated 10, which maybe made of wood support means may be attached to a horizontalgarmentsupporting rod 14 with the support means backed against a rearcloset wall 15 that is parallel with the rod. Figs. 1 and 2 show theusual closet shelf 16 spaced above the garment-supporting rod.

It is contemplated that with the hanger means 12 attaching the supportmember 10 to the rod 14, the rear end of thesupport member will abut thesurface of the closet wall 15 at points sufliciently spaced apartvertically to prevent any tendency of the support member to rotate aboutthe axis of the rod. The support member may be enlarged at its rear endfor this purpose. In the construction shown, the rear end of the supportmember 10 has a rectangular enlargement 17 which may be integral withthe support member or may be a separate body suitably united with thesupport member.

The hanger means 12 may comprise a metal strap of the configuration ofan inverted U dimensioned to straddle the garment-supporting rod 14 andadapted at its two lower endsfor sliding engagement with the supportmember 10. For the purpose of providing the sliding engagement, thesupport member 10 is formed with two downwardly facinglongitudinalshoulders 18 on its opposite sides. In this instance, thetwo longitudinal shoulders 18 are provided by longitudinal grooves 20 inthe opposite sides of the support member 10. As indicated in Fig. 3,each of the two legs of the hanger means 12 is cut away to receive theupper edge portion of the support member 10 in a sliding manner and toprovide. [two pairs of fingers 22 to hook into each of the twolonportion of the hanger means 12 to be tightened downward against theupper side of the garment-supporting rod 14.

It is apparent that when the thumb screw 24 is tightened against theupper surface of the rod 14, the support member is correspondinglytightened against the underside of the rod to clamp the support memberto the rod. It is further apparent that the tightening of the thumbscrew 24 not only serves to clamp the support member 10 to the rod 14but also serves to immobilize the hanger means 12 relative to thesupport member.

This first embodiment of the invention is further formed with alongitudinal groove 25 in which an auxiliary longitudinal member 26 isslidingly mounted. It is contemplated that the longitudinal groove 25will have at least one overhanging wall to prevent lateral separation ofthe auxiliary slide member 26 from the groove. In the constructionshown, both the longitudinal groove 25 and the auxiliary slide member 26are of dovetail cross-sectional configuration. p

The auxiliary slide member 26 is suitably adapted to support a pluralityof ties or similar objects such as belts. For this purpose, theauxiliary slide member 26 is provided with a plurality of hangerelements in the form of laterally extending pegs 28. In the constructionshown,

there are two longitudinal rows of the pegs 28 with th pegs of the tworows staggered.

It is apparent that this construction permits the longitudinal slidemember to be extended whenever desired froma normal retracted positionshown in Fig. 3 to a forward position at which the pegs 28 are readilyaccessible for the removal of ties therefrom or the return of tiesthereto. Thus the tie rack may be normally mostly concealed betweengarments supported by the rod 14 but maybe extended forward to exposethe ties thereon whenever desired.

To facilitate the manual extension of the longitudinal slide member 26,the slide member may be provided with a suitable handle at its forwardend. In the construction shown, a simple eyescrew 30 is mounted in theforward end of the slide member 26 for this purpose.-

It is further desirable to provide stop means to limit the forwardextension of the slide member 26 to prevent complete withdrawal of theslide member from the longitudinal groove 25. For this purpose, a screw32 may extend laterally from the forward end of the support member 10adjacent the slide member 26 and the rear end of the slide member may beprovided with an angular screw 34 to abut the screw 32 at a forwardlimit position of the slide member.

To install the tie rack, first the hanger means 12 is separated from thesupport member 10 and is placed 1 in position straddling the rod 14.With the thumb screw 24 retracted, the support member 10 is then againsliding-ly engaged with the hanger means. Finally, the support member isheld endwise against the rear closet wall and the thumb screw 24 istightened.

In the second embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 4 to 8, thesupport member comprises a thin-walled channel member 42 and a baseblock or foot 44 mounted on the rear end thereof for abutment againstthe rear closet wall 15. The thin-walled channel member 42 may be madeof sheet metal with the block 44 .made of plastic or both the channelmember and the block may be made of plastic. The open sideof the channelmember faces downward and both of the longitudinal side walls 43 of thechannel member are formed with inwardly extending longitudinal flanges45. A longitudinal slide member 46 is slidingly mounted inthe channelmember 42 and for this purpose is T-shaped witha downwardly extendingcentral web 48.

The hanger elements for ties and like objects prise two staggered rowsof pegs 50 extending. laterally from both sides of the central web 48 ofthe slide mem- Comber 46. For this purpose, a series of peg members 52of the character shown in Fig. 8 may be used. Each peg member 52 has acentral knurled portion 54 which is slightly enlarged and which isformed with longitudinal serrations. The peg members 52 are mounted inapertures 55 in the central web 48 with the knurled portions 54dimensioned for forced fit in the apertures. The slide member 46 may bemade of a suitable plastic material that is slightly yielding forinterlocking engagement with the knurled portions 54.

A handle means for the slide member 46 may comprise simply a ring 56 inan aperture 58 at the leading end of the slide member. In theconstruction shown in Fig. 4, a tongue 60 is cut in the channel member42 and bent downward to serve as a stop in cooperation with a stop pin62 that is mounted in the rear end of the slide member 46.

The hanger means 12a in this second embodiment of the invention issubstantially identical with the first described hanger means 12 of thefirst embodiment and functions in the same manner. In this instance, thelongitudinal shoulders of the support member that are slidingly engagedby the fingers 22a of the hanger 12a are the inwardly turnedlongitudinal flanges 45 of the channel member 42.

My description in specific detail of the selected embodiments of theinvention will suggest various changes, substitutions and otherdepartures from my disclosure within the spirit and scope of theappended claims.

I claim:

1. A tie rack for cooperation with a vertical wall surface and with anearby horizontal rod parallel thereto,

comprising: an elongated support member for position ing horizontallyunder said rod perpendicular thereto, said support member having a rearend for abutment against said wall at vertically spaced points, saidsupport member having a longitudinal overhanging shoulder. and

having longitudinal grooves on its opposite sides, each groove beingformed with at least one overhanging side wall; hanger means forengagement with said rod to attach said support member thereto, saidhanger means being slidably mounted in said grooves on said supportmember for adjustment longitudinally thereof; screw means mounted onsaid hanger means for movement against said rod to anchor the hangermeans on the rod and to anchor the hanger means against sliding movementalong the support member; a longitudinal slide memberslidingly mountedin said longitudinal groove for retractable extension forwardly of thesupport member; and 'a plurality of hanger elements for ties carried bysaid slide member and spaced longitudinally thereof.

2. A tie rack as set forth in claim 1 in which the forward end of saidgroove is open at the forward end of the support member; and whichincludes stop means to limit the forward extension of said slide member.

3. A tie rack as set forth in claim 1 in which said longitudinal grooveis on one side of said support member.

Refere'ncesCited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS FranceJan. 17, 1951

